Original Writing: The Assassination

The Assassin lay in wait. She knew what she had to do, where to be, where to hide and at what time. She also knew who the victim was. Now, all she needed to do was wait. She had perched herself in the neighbouring chimney. Her research had been done. The owners of the house were away on holiday. The house was hers. While she waited, the smell in the chimney was pungent. God what had they burnt in here? She could literally taste what had been burning. Pleasant thoughts were trying to take over the smell of the chimney. It was starting to work until her concentration was broken by the sound of a car pulling into a driveway. The target was sighted. No, wait. It was the victim's son. He didn't matter; as long as he kept out of the way he would not fall to the same fate as his father. She thought about how much was staked on her to leave no recognition, to the police, that there had ever been anyone there. She never did of course; she was a professional. Her finger found the trigger of the rifle and gripped tightly. The question was asked to herself as to why she was so worried as to killing her target. She had done it many a time and was the government's first choice to do this assassination. A few cars passed on the dark, lonely road leading up to the driveway that was gloomy in the night sky. She sighed heavily, her sigh passed down the chimney and through the rest of the house. The silent wait continued†¦ The silence of the night was deafening. The force of the rain was extremely light but the Assassin was soaked right through to the bone. Somewhere in the distance a dog barked. Washington D. C's weather was so lousy this time of year. The darkness was descending slowly, the house, from where the assassin was perched, was dark, lonely and frightening. Lightening flashed above the house. In the lightening, the assassin looked like a zombie. The wind became stronger as the night dragged slowly on. The lights that ran parallel with the street were all burning brightly except for one. The only one that wasn't working was the seventh one along. It was the one right outside the house. The rain had ceased now. The tarmac glistened after the rain had stopped. The line of shrubbery reminded the killer of a war movie she had seen recently. ‘The Front Line'. That was the name of the film. Some teenagers passed by the house. They looked a bit drunk. The wind carried the dead leaves along the ground and through the air. The Assassin heard a noise approaching to her left†¦ She stubbed out her cigarette as the silver Mercedes(tm) turned off the road onto the muddy, rutted path leading to the house. The Assassin noted that the car had defective windscreen wipers; there were mud streaks on the side and a damaged bumper. As the car came to a stop outside the house, Her victim checked his watch; it was time for his favourite Radio Programme. So he sat inside of his car, turned on the radio and listened to it in comfort. The Assassin cursed herself. Why wasn't he getting out of the car? She heard the music go on, so she lifted her rifle and looked through the scope. He was sitting with a bottle of Baileys, listening to the Radio. She waited a bit longer. Eventually, he got out. John, now drunk, looked at his badge on his suit. It said ‘John Kerry'. Even though it was not raining, John stupidly put up his umbrella†¦ The assassin grinned to herself. She was finally going to get her kill. John was staggering left and right, which meant her shot, would have to be even more accurate. But, luckily for her, he was about the length of 3 Double Decker buses away from the front door. She lifted the rifle's scope to the man. She took aim, the trigger contracted into the gun. As if by pure luck, the man tripped and fell right at the last second, causing the bullet to narrowly miss its destination. She couldn't believe it. Anger swelled up inside her. She punched the gun so hard that it went unnoticed that the silencer fell off to the ground below. Reloading her gun was quite hard while she was shaking. The sight was lifted again and the shot was fired. This time it hit him right in the heart. He went flying into a nearby wall. The force of the blow scattered all of his personal belongings out of his suit. The deed had been done. She wiped the sweat from her brow as she was clearing up. But as she was cleaning up her thoughts went back to the shot. Could the shot have been heard? The floor of the chimney was searched but she couldn't find the silencer. Then her worst fears came true. Lights in the nearby house shot on. Then her thoughts were broken by the sound of a low groan coming from the driveway from across the way. John was crawling towards his mobile phone. Her items were dropped to the bottom of the chimney. She thrust her body off the roof, causing her to roll across the ground. A dagger was pulled from her belt and was driven towards her victim. Her foot connected with the bottom of his jaw and the mobile phone; causing only the mobile to scatter. He was grabbed by the neck of his suit by the Assassin and his throat slit. He died instantly. The Assassin stood up and walked towards the end of the driveway until she was stopped in her tracks by a mysterious figure at the doorway to Kerry's house†¦ It was John's son, William. He was wielding a machete. William was quick but not as quick as the assassin. The second he raised the blade to charge, the murderer turned and threw the dagger, with perfect accuracy and precision, straight into the thigh of the victim's son. His eyes opened wide but, as she intended, he was stopped in his tracks. He tried his hardest to concentrate on the assassin. The pain was excruciating. He staggered forward, unaware that the assassin was starting to make a run for it and the neighbours watching. They stared in disbelief as he pulled the dagger out of his thigh and attempted to give chase but was no match for her speed. He thought she had gotten away until one of the neighbours, named Terry, offered him a lift in his car. Terry and William drove quietly along the dark road following the assassin. The assassin thought she had lost him but then she seen two bright lights coming towards her. Using her swiftness, she ran and blended in with the bushes leading to the park. The car pulled onto the kerb and the doors slowly opened. She put her hand on her handgun. Just in case. They got out of the car slowly and carefully proceeded through the park. Suddenly Terry disappeared into the bushes causing William to jump. He investigated the bush to find Terry. He found Terry with a sleeper dart hanging from his neck. William left him. He went into the shrubs at the side. He had a hunch. She looked back out of the shrubs only to find that he had disappeared. Her hand loosened slightly on the handgun. She felt a crack in the back of her head as she went flying forward into the clearing. As she got up William was upon her like a shot. As she fought wildly to get him off her hand found something to be hard and sharp. Unfortunately for her William found the same item and they held the item between them each trying to stab each other. She identified the item as her dagger. But her taking her eyes away from the struggle gave William the chance he needed to rip the dagger free from her grasp. As he brought the knife down into her chest as she found her gun, put to the back of his throat and pulled the trigger. William lay motionless. She felt a sharp pain in her chest – what could it be? She wondered, gasping or breathe. Slowly opening her jacket, the assassin felt shocked when she realised that the blood was hers. She was feeling light headed now and cold. Maybe she needed a sit down to rest her eyes. Yes, that is what she decided to do. It was mid afternoon the following day when the police found them – William still lay motionless and pale. The assassin looked peaceful – as if she were asleep. Why was it that she killed John Kerry? I guess we might never find out†¦

Earth Day Essay

The subject of Earth Day has been covered intensively by the world press over the past decade. Many an afternoon has been enjoyed by a family, bonding over the discussion of Earth Day. Until recently considered taboo amongst polite society, it is yet to receive proper recognition for laying the foundations of democracy. Often it is seen as both a help and a hinderence to global commercial enterprises, who are yet to grow accustomed to its disombobulating nature. Complex though it is I shall now attempt to provide an exaustive report on Earth Day and its numerous ‘industries’. Social Factors There is cultural and institutional interdependence between members of any community. When Thucictholous said ‘people only know one thing’ [1] he saw clearly into the human heart. Difference among people, race, culture and society is essential on the survival of our world, however Earth Day raises the question ‘why?’ Recent thought on Earth Day has been a real eye-opener for society from young to old. It grows stonger every day. Economic Factors There has been a great deal of discussion in the world of economics, centred on the value of Earth Day. We shall examine the Fish-Out-Of-Water model. Taking special care to highlight the role of Earth Day within the vast framework which this provides. Oil Prices Earth Day What a splendid graph. Obviously oil prices sings a very different tune. Perhaps to coin a phrase Earth Dayeconomics will be the buzz word of the  century Political Factors No man is an island, but what of politics? Comparing the general view of politics held by the poor of the west with those of the east can be like comparing. Consider this, spoken at the tender age of 14 by jazz singer Bonaventure H. Amster ‘Taking a walk across hot coals will inevitably hurt your feet.’ [2] This quotation leads me to suspect that he was not unaccustomed to Earth Day. It speaks volumes. History tells us that Earth Day will always be a vote winner, whether we like it, or not. Why did Earth Day cross the road? – To get to the other side! Just my little joke, but lets hope that Earth Day doesn’t inspire similar hilarity in the next elections. Conclusion To conclude, Earth Day parades along man’s streets and man waves back. It fills a hole, invades where necessary and always chips in.

Key Performance Indicators Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Key Performance Indicators - Assignment Example Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is â€Å"a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis† (ECCJ 2006). This paper aims at providing an overview of the theoretical and conceptual developments in relation to the increased emphasis on social accountability of those who are responsible for managing businesses and Corporate Social Responsibility, which in turn assists the businesses to establish corporate policies and practices which are meant to pose a positive impact on the social environment. In the modern business world of today, each industry and business plays the role of bringing stability by satisfying the needs of the customers. As the businesses all around the world are growing and developing, every interested individual or organization, whether he is a consumer or investor is asking corporations to conduct their operations in a more efficient and accountable way, which conforms to the ethical requirements. This emerging demand from the elements within the society has forced the organizations to adopt a modern concept named CSR. This paper generally focuses on the theoretical fra mework related to CSR and developments related to CSR in the world so as to analyze the businesses and their operations on these identified parameters. What is Corporate Social Responsibility... Customers got chance to network purchase by 750 store located in UK. Per year 130 million customers got services and 6 millions ordered by online and phone. The important factors that help to move forward to the company are Differentiated and market leading formats, Leveraging scale and infrastructure, Product ranges and related services, Delivering value to the customer, Efficient cost base and financial strength etc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ‘JD Sports’ is another retail company running in UK. From 1981, in Oxford Street, the company started their business and clothing, footwear, sports items and accessories are the main products. The company earns more than ? 769.8 million in 2010 financial year. Kesa electronic company sells electronic items. â€Å"The principal products sold by the group are categorized as white, brown and grey electrical goods and related accessories. White goods comprise large and small sized domestic appliances, such as refrigerators, washing ma chines, microwaves, coffee machines and irons† (Products and Services 2011, para. 1). Gray goods are included telecommunications and multimedia products like mobile phone, Computers, digital cameras scanner, printer etc. Brown goods means all vision and audio products like  DVD players, flat-screen televisions, MP3 players and camcorders. The company â€Å"is ideally placed to offer associated services such as home delivery and installation, credit and extended warranties. In addition, the development of digital convergence has provided us with the opportunity to offer a range of ‘paid for’ services† (Products and Services 2011, para. 5). The company’s group revenue was increased to 7.6% that up to â‚ ¬2567 million. The company effectively approached with corporate social

Argument on Mackie's analysis on existence of God Essay

Argument on Mackie's analysis on existence of God - Essay Example On the other hand, theists continue to defend the stance that God exists and can, in fact, coexist with evil. Mackie challenged theist notions by seeking to demonstrate the invalidity and lack of persuasiveness inherent in regard to the presence of God. The basis of Mackie’s argument is the provision of atheist criticisms towards theistic assertions regarding the issue of evil in the world (Geisler 65). However, throughout his argument, Mackie fails to unequivocally prove why the coexistence of God and evil is a contradiction of the presence of an omnipotent and all good God. Mackie’s depiction of God is that of a form of immortal monster that chooses to sit idly despite being aware of the terrible experiences of people in the world as a consequence of his inaction. As a result, Mackie attempts to prove this inconsistency by delving into his understanding of the disposition of an omnipotent being (Geisler 114). It is because of this that this paper will critically asses s Mackie’s arguments using a theistic point of view, thereby showing that Mackie’s argument is incompatible with God’s overall purpose and his vision for the world. Although God frowns upon evil, he reveres free will, thus does not permit unnecessary suffering. The argument presented in this paper will defend a position that reconciles the presence of God with the presence of wickedness, thus highlighting the existence of God. ... In fact, evil presupposes God’s existence since God provides a benchmark on which actions can be considered evil or good. Without the presence of God then evil would be nonexistent, hence it would be impossible to measure actions as either good or evil. This means that all actions, whether right or wrong can be deemed morally neutral since they are performed by individuals who are also morally neutral. Therefore, by allowing evil, in the short run, God could be attaining the eventual objective of destroying evil in the long term (Aquinas 626). In Mackie’s opinion, God’s first priority should be to deter evil even if it means infringing on people’s free will. Therefore, Mackie appears to presume that God’s actions are negligent since he does not stop evil. However, such an assumption is likely to imply that God is obligated to do something, but fails to do it. Being an almighty being, God is not compelled to do anything; for instance, stop evil since if he was, then this would imply that God is constrained by the desires of another higher being. Ironically, God’s omnipotence is evidenced by his capacity not to destroy evil in order to fulfill some form of obligation. As an omnipotent and benevolent being, God must have morally sufficient reasons for allowing the extent of evil in the world (Geisler 37). Despite the amount and types of evil present in the world, a balance also exists such that more good than evil characterizes the world. This makes humans look forward to the future and deem life as worth living. Argument against the existence of God While the argument against the existence of God encompasses a myriad of presumptions, perhaps the

Life under slavery in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Life under slavery in the United States - Essay Example Although slavery was later abolished using peace treaties, it is clear that during the slave period, most slaves experienced serious suffering harsh living conditions under their masters’ care. African-Americans were used as slaves in the 17th century even during the American Revolution and during the adoption of the Constitution in 1787. During this era, there were clear guidelines on when slaves started their work schedule and when it ended on a daily basis. Slaves worked for long hours whereby work started before, dawn, and ended after sunset with only a two-hour break. They worked under constant supervisions with threats of punishment by overseers regardless of who their owners were. There were submitted to harsh conditions and despite their lack of freedom, they were not always rendered powerless victims, as they were able to start important institutions (Reese 208). Europeans settled in America and invested in sugarcane and tobacco plantations, which had thrived in areas like the Mediterranean in the Middle Ages. When European merchants were sailing, they adopted such practices into their new settlements. This early plantations needed labor and the Europeans disliked the labor required in the plantations and the indigenous people refused to work on it, and this led to forced slave labor (Rodriguez 33). There was a massive expansion of the population that was enslaved in Americas, which was possible due to the transatlantic slave trade. The population increased because slaves barred more children and cotton farming started benefiting from the slavery in America in 1800 and it spread to other states (Elkins 35). Slavery was met with resistance as slaves sometimes ran away and hid in forests or visited relatives in other plantations. Some were able to escape slavery for good but some were unlucky as they were severely punished, and others were even shot to death or bitten by the owners dogs

My Journey to outer space Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My Journey to outer space - Essay Example My presence on the spaceship put me in a state of shock but gradually I adapted to the situation. The spaceship was headed towards the planet Saturn where the team members of my crew were to witness certain changes in the outer shell of the planet. This change was considered to have happened because of a reported explosion. I wandered around the spaceship and was delighted by seeing objects and machines that I had never seen. Despite of being in a different place, I started to like my surroundings. My attention drifted to one of my crew members, Ronald, who was sitting around a table that had navigation and mapping devices. The charm of those devices attracted me towards Ronald and lured me to ask the meaning of the terminologies that he was mentioning to the pilot of the ship. Later, it was Ronald and the pilot who explained to me that the term light year and Parsec were both units of length and that the spaceship had to travel 4.28 light years to reach Saturn and to ascertain the distance, a method referred to as parallax was used. During our journey, I witnessed different stars, meteors and asteroids. Few of the celestial bodies that I witnessed glowed in such a way that it displayed a red shade; this was referred to as Red shift in the astronomical language. When I first heard about the distance I thought that it would take many years to reach the destination but within a few hours, I heard an announcement which stated that we were approaching our destination. I was really looking forward to step on Saturn but at that particular moment, I fell with a thud on the floor and my eyes opened. I realized that it was just a

The death penalty is not a deterrent Research Paper - 1

The death penalty is not a deterrent - Research Paper Example Pillsbury argued that it is the violence of our crimes that is the problem and not the number of crimes. And in dealing with the American homicide problem, we need to approach it squarely with all the help we can muster from social scientists, lawyers, police officers, community leader and activists, even novelists and movie makers. Each of these people provides a different perspective on what makes people commit crime, and each provides a different solution in dealing with the criminal who committed the crime. (Pillsbury 3) A police officer who apprehended the criminal may want conviction and incarceration. The psychiatrist may ask for psychiatric treatment, while a social reformer may ask that the offender be given family support which he/she lacked when the crime was committed. Each professional or actor in the justice system may want a different approach. But this will hold only for as long as each respects the other. The criminal, after a psychiatric treatment, may find himself a promoter of social reform, but not capital punishment. This paper will provide an answer to the question whether the criminal deserves punishment and not the death penalty. Is capital punishment a deterrent to a convict’s commission of another crime? Or is it a deterrent for others to commit a crime? Literature Review Proponents of the death penalty provide four fundamental rationales in imposing it: ‘deterrence, instrumental perspective, retribution, and incapacitation’ (Lambert and Clarke, qtd. in Elechi, Lambert and Ventura 110). Proponents argue that people can be stopped from committing crimes by imposing severe sanctions and executing criminals deters others who planned to commit crimes from doing so. Proponents also advocate that the death penalty is an ‘effective deterrent than life imprisonment’ (Elechi et al 110). Retribution is vengeance (Mitchell 480). Statistics about homicide rates in conjunction with execution rates Since 1999 the mu rder rate has remained unchanged despite the decline of death sentences, executions, and the size of death row. (â€Å"Death Penalty Information Center† para. 1) In the so-called execution capital of the nation, Texas, executions go up the same thing with homicide. For example in Bexar, San Antonio, with a population of about 1.4 million, the murder rate is 14.91, executions registered at 18 and executions per 1,000 murders are 4.3; in El Paso, a population of .7 million, the murder rate is 6.60, execution 1; in Tarrant (Ft. Worth), population of 1.5, murder rate is 12.78, executions 22, and executions per 1,000 are 6.5; in Dallas, a population of 2.2 million, the murder rate is 19.33, executions 26, and executions per 1000 murders are 3.1. The hiatus in executions during 1972 to 1976 was brought about by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Furman v. Georgia, which states that capital punishment in America was cruel and unusual punishment. (â€Å"Mortal Justice: The Demogra phy of the Death Penalty† 40) Statistics about homicide rates in conjunction with life imprisonment States, which do not have the death penalty and only have life imprisonment, have reported lower murder rates. In 2010, the murder rate in death penalty states was 5.00, while the murder rate in non-death penalty states was 4.01 or a difference of 25%. In other words, death penalty or life imprisonment has no deterrence on violent crimes like murder. The murder rate is calculated by dividing the total